Village Destruction

"Great Spirit, descend!"

Bei Liqing gave a cold laugh and chanted spell after spell. Flecks of light burst from the Crystal Bracelet, coalescing into a blurry shadow that stepped into the air.

The shadow looked like a wolf. Its fur was yellowish brown, a pair of wings sprouted from its ribs, and its forelegs were short. Deep grooves crisscrossed its face, making it look exceptionally ancient.

The moment it appeared, the hearts of Stone Village's clansmen sank as one.

"It's that old Bei from Bei Village. Everyone, stay sharp."

Shi Linhu gripped the Black Heavy Sword tightly, his face grave, and signaled the clansmen to be on guard. Their opponent was a particularly troublesome one.

"Great Spirit, these lowly people of Stone Village dare obstruct us as we gather vicious beasts' true blood for you. We beg you to unleash divine punishment and destroy them all!"

Bei Liqing, his face aged and weathered, led his clansmen as they fell to their knees in a great clamor.

"Awooo..."

The clever old Bei let out a low growl, its cry chilling to the bone. Its yellow-brown eyes coldly surveyed the hunting party, and its short forepaw began to rise.

"Whoosh!"

A flash of white light streaked past, scattering rays of radiance. A dazzling Sacred Silver Moon shot out and instantly sliced the blurry shadow into countless fragments.

"It's nothing but an imprint, yet it dares act so arrogantly."

Not far away, Shi Hao calmly lowered his right arm.

"Great Spirit, this..."

The men of Bei Village were utterly dumbfounded. They stared blankly at the flecks of runes dispersing in the air. Their Great Spirit, who had always been invincible, had actually been defeated?

"Whoosh!"

Another silver moon shot forth, cleaving Bei Liqing in two as he tried to secretly activate the Beast Tooth Treasure Tool. The chief of Bei Village died on the spot.

"Fine young men of Stone Village, follow me and kill!"

Shi Linhu roared, acting at once. He led his clansmen forward like tigers charging down a mountain, throwing Bei Village's people into disarray.

With their Sacrificial Spirit destroyed and their chief dead, the people of Bei Village had no will to resist. In no time, the hunting party had routed them.

"Little One, we owe you a lot this time."

Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao, covered in the stench of blood, grinned as they thanked Shi Hao. They had clearly come away with a rich haul.

"Don't let your guard down yet. There's still another group of enemies to deal with."

Shi Hao shook his head and looked toward the depths of the forest.

"Awooo, awooo..."

At the same time, a series of deep growls rang out. Forty or fifty black-backed, white-furred giant wolves came closing in from all around, eager to attack.

The old Bei, whose phantom Shi Hao had scattered with a single move, was crouched on the back of a towering wolf king, glaring at him with venomous eyes.

The retaliation of Bei Village's Sacrificial Spirit had arrived!

"Peak Cave Heaven Realm, on the verge of breaking through. No wonder the people of Bei Village suddenly started hunting so many vicious beasts. They were helping this old Bei break through."

Pihou's father, Shi Shoushan, cried out in alarm, but he wasn't particularly flustered. He turned to Shi Linhu. "Captain, summon the village's battle beast. This is beyond what we can handle."

The battle beast of Stone Village was, of course, the Azure Heaven Roc Family.

The adult Azure Heaven Roc was an Ancient Relic, and its cultivation had already reached the Inscription Realm. Capturing a Cave Heaven Realm old Bei would be easy for it.

"Mm!"

Shi Linhu nodded, took a Crystal Bone Flute from his chest, and was about to blow it.

"Uncle Lin Hu, there's no need to summon the Azure Heaven Roc. I brought an Ancestral Artifact."

Shi Hao stopped Shi Linhu.

"What? You brought the village's Ancestral Artifact? Which one? Little One, your mastery of Bone Text is excellent. You can surely defeat that lame old Bei."

Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao exchanged glances, both delighted.

In truth, as the First Ancestral Land of the Shi Clan, Stone Village possessed three great divine artifacts: the Crystal Beast Bone, the Blood-Stained Ancient Beast Skin, and the Black Cauldron.

The Crystal Beast Bone was the arm bone of the Suanni King, while the Blood-Stained Ancient Beast Skin came from the chest of the Golden Bian. Both were powerful divine artifacts containing the original runes of pure-blooded creatures.

In the original story, when the Seven Gods descended to the lower realm and one of the gods attacked Stone Village, Zhu Yan and the Vermilion Bird, who had just kindled their divine flames, wielded these two great divine artifacts and successfully killed him.

Even Shi Linhu, who didn't know what he had, had once used the Suanni King's arm bone to drive off the Cave Heaven Realm old Bei, despite not yet having reached the Blood Moving Realm.

As for the Black Cauldron, it was even more powerful.

On the surface, it was a divine artifact that the Shi Clan's ancestors had used to refine countless sacred medicines. But inside it was the White Bone Tripod, which contained a portion of the middle chapter of the Original True Interpretation.

The Transcendence Chapter of the Original True Interpretation had long been held by the Supreme Hall of the Upper Realm. This was enough to suggest that the Seven Kings of the Border Wasteland, who had flourished in the previous era, might have had some mysterious connection to the ancestors of the Supreme Hall.

"Uncle Lin Hu, Uncle Fei Jiao, step back."

Shi Hao carefully took out the Blood-Stained Ancient Beast Skin and pressed it against his chest. In an instant, it blazed with light.

"Roar!"

As countless runes interwove, a savage beast's roar, filled with an overwhelming aura of ferocity, rang out. It was as though a true primordial beast from the heavenly ranks had come back to life. A towering phantom of the Golden Bian, dozens of zhang tall, appeared behind Shi Hao, throwing back its head and roaring with unrestrained wildness.

"Awooo, awooo..."

The black-backed giant wolves caught in the tide of its fearsome power all whimpered in unison. Tails between their legs, they fled wildly into the depths of the forest, leaving the area empty in an instant.

Even the golden wolf king, the old Bei's mount, was no better. It dropped to its forelegs, buried its head in the dirt, and trembled uncontrollably.

If the old Bei hadn't forcibly suppressed it, it would have fled into the forest long ago.

"This sacred aura... could it be a divine weapon?"

The old Bei couldn't speak, but its yellow-brown eyes were filled with greed. It was determined to get its paws on this mysterious treasure.

"You lame old Bei, die!"

Fused with the Golden Bian, Shi Hao's gaze turned icy. He lifted his right foot, as large as a rush cushion, and stomped down. A vast shadow instantly engulfed Bei Village's Sacrificial Spirit.

"Whimper..."

A flash of panic crossed the old Bei's deeply wrinkled face. Its short forelegs waved frantically, and a golden beast claw promptly took shape, flying up to meet the blow.

"Crack!"

The golden beast claw shattered. The old Bei leaped from the wolf king's back and tried to flee, but the enormous shadow slammed down in an instant, pinning it to the ground. Its head burst apart, and its life force ebbed away.

"Phew!"

Shi Hao breathed a quiet sigh of relief, hurriedly ending the fusion. The Golden Bian phantom faded, and the Blood-Stained Ancient Beast Skin flew out.

Little Shi, his face deathly pale, stumbled and barely managed to catch it.

Even channeling just a fraction of a divine artifact's power could instantly drain every bit of divine energy and vital essence from a Blood Moving Realm cultivator.

"Bei Village's Sacrificial Spirit actually died!"

"One move killed a vicious beast at the peak of the Cave Heaven Realm! Little One, you're incredible!"

"The village's Ancestral Artifact is so powerful. What rank of treasure is it?"

The hunting party cheered as one and rushed to surround Shi Hao, clamoring excitedly.